SOMERSWORTH — Even if the Somersworth High School football team had scored on its drive late in the fourth quarter of Saturday's Division V championship game, it still would have faced the daunting task of scoring a second time against a Monadnock defense that had the Hilltoppers' number all afternoon.

Not that the Hilltoppers were unfamiliar with a rallying against Monadnock. When the teams met in the regular season, Somersworth scored twice in the final minutes to tie the game, only to lose in overtime.

No such comeback was in store in the state final as visiting Monadnock scored early and held on for a 9-0 win.

“Their defense played really well, and we saw that in the first game against these guys,” Somersworth coach Dan Hodsdon said. “We knew Monadnock would be content to win 7-0, and that's what happened here.”

The loss dashed the Hilltoppers' hopes for a 15th NHIAA championship and their first since 1997. The No. 1 Hilltoppers finished the season at 8-2, with both losses coming to Monadnock.

“We just didn't play well at all,” Somersworth senior tight end Kevin Clougherty said. “We didn't play our game today. We were starting to get back into it down the stretch, but we came up a little bit short.”

The Hilltoppers had just one serious scoring threat in Saturday's game, and that came with just under five minutes to go in the game. After a 17-yard gain by Somersworth quarterback Drew Francoeur gave the Hilltoppers a first down at Monadnock's 12, four incomplete passes into the end zone ended the threat with 4:11 to go.

Even if Somersworth had scored on that drive, it still would have had to score again. No. 3 Monadnock (8-2) made sure of that just 90 seconds into the second quarter when Trevor Goquen drilled a 25-yard field goal to stake the visitors to a 9-0 lead.

In the first half, Somersworth turned the ball over on its first two drives (the first, an interception, led directly to Monadnock's touchdown), then went three-and-out on their next two. The next two drives stalled at midfield and at the Huskies' 44-yard line.

Somersworth finally got into the Huskies' red zone on its second offensive drive of the second half. But on third-and-8 from the Monadnock 16-yard line, Francoeur was sacked for a 13-yard loss. Then the Hilltoppers were called for a delay, pushing them back to the 34 for fourth-and-26. Francoeur's pass went in and out of the hands of the receiver, and Somersworth turned the ball over on downs.

There were bright spots for the Hilltoppers. Darren Glore blocked two kicks — an extra-point attempt in the first quarter that held Monadnock's lead to 9-0, and a punt midway through the third that gave Somersworth its best field position of the day.

Also, the Hilltopper defense did well to hold Monadnock to nine points, the seventh time this season Somersworth held an opponent to 10 points or fewer. Monadnock had only two big offensive plays — a 33-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and a 53-yard gain on a fake punt late in the fourth that iced the win for the Huskies.

“Defensively, we held the line pretty well,” said senior linebacker Tyler Kretschmar. “Everyone was doing what they were supposed to do. But the field conditions weren't that good. One little slip up, and obviously we paid for it.”

It was a disappointing end to a fine season for Somersworth and its 12 seniors.

“It was a great ride,” Hodsdon said. “This senior group is fantastic. The best I've ever had. I've had a lot of groups, but these guys in that senior class, top to bottom, they all contribute and they're all great kids. They brought us to where we are today. And we just came up a little short.”